Edit This Favorite

Did you hear that? It is all too often that we just do not listen. I bring this up as a reminder of just how much we can learn if we just take the time to hear what people say. There is an old adage that reminds us all that we have two ears and one mouth…which means we should be listening twice as much as we speak! Try it sometime and you will be amazed at what you can learn. This also serves as a reminder of how much communications have changed just in the last 10 years. Who would have thought that we could post almost anything via a social media site and have it shared with many people instantly! This comes to mind as we had a "Tweet Along” using Twitter of an abbreviated tour of our facility at Evanston for small children. It was a huge success; and, for those of you that are technologically inclined, click on this link (or paste into your browser) http://www.cityofevanston.org/utilities/water-division/evanston-tap-water-tweet-along/index.php and you will see what I am talking about. It was amazing that many people followed the event via smartphone or computer and made comments as we moved along.

The fall has been a busy time for the Illinois Section. We continued to roll out more functions on our new website and have had many compliments on the ease of use and efficiency of the site. Keep watching…this is only the surface of what can be done! In addition, the Governor signed new Clean Water legislation and we were asked to participate in the press conference that was held at the Shedd Aquarium in October. The Section has worked tirelessly for many years to become and to maintain our status as a major stakeholder with regards to local, state and national water issues; and our participation at the press conference shows just how much this hard work has paid off! Laurie Dougherty, our Executive Director, and John Donahue, (soon to be President Elect) of the AWWA attended on behalf of the Section.

Remember that the election of new officers is approaching and the slate of candidates is in this issue as well as the early bird registration for WATERCON. You can register for WATERCON online at www.isawwa.org/WATERCON2013

Finally…I want to thank all of you who continue to serve and to assist the Illinois Section as we strive to provide as many training and education opportunities as possible. Remember that this is one of the most important functions and a cornerstone of our organization, and we could not succeed without the efforts of many volunteers. I know there are many members out there who would like to volunteer, and I want to encourage everyone to seek out a colleague and volunteer together! Again, please check out the training schedule for the remainder of this year and remember... "Training, Training, Training”!